What happens to the focal length of a lens when it is immersed in water?

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Q: What happens to the focal length of a lens when it is immersed in water?

Solution: The focal length of a lens decreases when immersed in a medium with a higher refractive index than air.

Steps: 7

Step 1: Understand what focal length is. Focal length is the distance from the lens where light rays converge to a point.
Step 2: Know that lenses bend light. The amount they bend light depends on the lens material and the surrounding medium.
Step 3: Recognize that air has a lower refractive index than water. Refractive index is a measure of how much light bends in a material.
Step 4: When a lens is in air, it has a certain focal length. This is based on the difference in refractive index between the lens and air.
Step 5: When the lens is placed in water, the surrounding medium (water) has a higher refractive index than air.
Step 6: Because of this change, the lens bends light less when in water compared to when it is in air.
Step 7: As a result, the focal length of the lens decreases when it is immersed in water.